Travellers eligible to enter Greece, carrying with them proof of recovery from COVID-19, should now be aware that the validity of these certificates has been shortened by half from the Greek authorities.
The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced on Friday, December 9, that COVID-19 recovery certificates will now be valid for entry into Greece for a shorter period of 90 days instead of 180 as it was previously.
“Travellers to Greece must bring a certificate of illness issued thirty (30) days after the first positive test, and its validity lasts up to ninety (90) days after that,” the CAA notes in a press release.
Up until now, travellers who entered Greece on the basis of a recovery certificate could do so if they had proof they had fallen ill from COVID-19 between the last 180 days, but not in the last 30 days. This means that the certificates that remain valid are those issued after July 15 but not later than November 15.
The decision will affect the travellers from 43 world countries who haven’t been vaccinated but have so far been eligible to enter with proof of having previously fallen ill, in particular those who were infected with COVID 19 between April 15 and July 15 this year.
These 43 countries are: Australia, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, China, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Israel, India, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Mexico, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Oman, Qatar, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, and the Vatican.
However, the same can enter Greece if they take a PCR test for COVID-19 in the previous 72 hours before reaching Greece or a rapid test within the 48 hours before.
Residents of these 43 countries who can no longer use their recovery certificate, and decide to get vaccinated against COVID-19, can use proof of vaccination to enter Greece restriction-free as well.
However, they need “to have completed at least fourteen (14) days before the vaccination for COVID-19 and to present a vaccination certificate, in Greek, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Russian, which has been issued by a public authority.”
Aside from the residents of the third countries listed above, permitted to enter Greece from other world countries are the EU and the Schengen Agreement nationals, their spouse (or person with who they are cohabitating) as well as their minor children.
At the same time, the CAA has extended the entry ban against the southern African countries where the Omicron variant was first detected until December 17. These countries are South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini, Zambia and Malawi.
Foreign nationals whose flights depart from these countries must have permission from the Greek authorities or from the local Embassies, Consulates and Consular Authorities of other countries, representing Greece in case of absence of the Greek Embassy in their country.
